tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79410306231857914422017-12-11T23:09:12.724+09:30The Narrative CausalityA blog mostly about books.Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.comBlogger361125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-31050785722792222712016-03-12T17:18:00.001+09:302016-03-12T17:19:43.053+09:30Truthwitch by Susan Dennard<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428675822l/21414439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428675822l/21414439.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Enjoyable</span></b></div><br />Summary:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>"Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself. In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch."</i></blockquote>This is a pretty hyped up book which I was interested in from the description. I was lucky that my library ebook loan system had it in there. I am not sure it lives up to its hype though, it was an enjoyable read and I will read the next book but I did have problems with the story.<br /><br />My first issue was that Safiya (Safi) is an idiot. A selfish, deluded brat. Everything that went wrong in this book was because she never stopped to think about anyone other then herself and her needs. She even admitted, several times, she sucks at making plans, and time and time again she would ignore people who had perfectly good and well thought out plans made by people who generally so this sort&nbsp;of thing for a living, and do her own idiotic thing. Usually resulting in the death of others or the near death of her and her friends. I just wanted to yell at her almost the entire way through the book. Also her decisions made no freaking sense and the one time she actually presented a good plan to someone who has lots of experience and should know better, they shot her down and proposed a seriously risky and dumb idea (which resulted in mayhem, death and fighting).<br /><br /></div><div>My other peeve was that I also got annoyed with reading "that that" in a sentence or something similar. I can't think of specific examples now but when that double up happened it did bug me as it happened a couple of times. I am not sure what the technical term for it is, but I have seen it creeping into modern books, and it bugs me. But thats one of my peeve's not necessarily a fault of the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>So you would think &nbsp;after that complaining I would dislike this book. Well I didn't. I still quite enjoyed it, even though my eyeballs got quite the work out.</div><div><br /></div><div>For me this was like a guilty pleasure book. Similar to those guilty pleasure&nbsp;tv shows that we all have, that we like despite it being almost everything we normally dislike in a show. Like The Kardashians, or Daytime Soapies (mine being reality shows like Amazing Race and Survivor). The characters are badly acted, the dialogue is predictable and the show is predictable (yes even reality shows!). We like to hate those shows (and we all have one) and we like to complain about the awfulness of the show. I am not saying this book is badly written or predictable but my point is that even though there was a side of it that annoyed me I still continued reading, and still liked it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This book was a little like that for me. Even though I practically yelled at the character Safi for her stupidity and rolled my eyes at her decisions. I still enjoyed reading this book and will read the second book.</div><div><br /></div><div>The action was well written and fast paced. The world created is interesting and detailed. I liked the story and I'm curious as to where the story goes.<br /><br />If you like modern young adult fantasy you will probably like this book.</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-15800522219961430322016-02-09T07:11:00.000+09:302016-02-09T08:45:59.388+09:30If I had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25614428-if-i-had-a-gryphon" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="If I Had a Gryphon" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1450452293m/25614428.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25614428-if-i-had-a-gryphon">If I Had a Gryphon</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4089580.Vikki_VanSickle">Vikki VanSickle</a><br>My rating: Excellent!<br><br>Sam is a little girl who has been given a hamster and wishes it was a magical mythological creature instead. As we read the story and Sam considers each mythological creature and the responsibilites that come with them she realises that maybe her hamster isnt so bad after all.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sPRft355J-k/VrkfnH0HxgI/AAAAAAAABl4/4sBVaisfaTE/s640/blogger-image-613770485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sPRft355J-k/VrkfnH0HxgI/AAAAAAAABl4/4sBVaisfaTE/s640/blogger-image-613770485.jpg"></a></div><br><br>This book is wonderful for the messages it has 1. a female lead character 2.learning to be happy with what you have 3. learning to apply reasoning to a theory or want 4. seeing the good in things, and 5. everyone (pet) has value.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cUjF_BIfaUw/VrkfqibeKSI/AAAAAAAABmA/TZ1lL3sPKH8/s640/blogger-image--1207155118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cUjF_BIfaUw/VrkfqibeKSI/AAAAAAAABmA/TZ1lL3sPKH8/s640/blogger-image--1207155118.jpg"></a></div><br><br>The illustrations were fun and well suited to the story, and the story flowed well and rhymed! (I am a sucker for rhyming kids picture books). <br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ee9c7OjU2UY/VrkgeoMDRmI/AAAAAAAABmI/sca5xi6OQ4g/s640/blogger-image--209515086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ee9c7OjU2UY/VrkgeoMDRmI/AAAAAAAABmI/sca5xi6OQ4g/s640/blogger-image--209515086.jpg"></a></div></div><br>My kids really enjoyed the story and my son especially loved the kraken (but he is obsessed with sea animals, so not a huge surprise, but I also thought the kraken was super cute). My daughter liked the gryphon announcing loudly "kitty raar".The subtle humour in the words and corresponding graphics made us all have a little laugh.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tNDZTEcccho/Vrkfo29d2VI/AAAAAAAABl8/O4X1g87ZxdM/s640/blogger-image-1543542863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tNDZTEcccho/Vrkfo29d2VI/AAAAAAAABl8/O4X1g87ZxdM/s640/blogger-image-1543542863.jpg"></a></div>I would highly recommend this book to anyone with animal loving kiddies, or kids who like fantastical wonderful things.&nbsp;<br><br></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-26624039011564874592016-01-31T16:24:00.001+09:302016-01-31T16:25:09.711+09:30Alistair Grim's Odd Aquaticum by Gregory Funaro<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25038983-alistair-grim-s-odd-aquaticum" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Alistair Grim's Odd Aquaticum (Odditorium, #2)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425125758m/25038983.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25038983-alistair-grim-s-odd-aquaticum">Alistair Grim's Odd Aquaticum</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3144748.Gregory_Funaro">Gregory Funaro</a><br />My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1436880682">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />Summary:<br /><i>"When Grubb, an orphan and runaway chimney sweep, entered the wondrous world of the Odditorium, his life changed forever. Apprenticed to the mechanical marvel’s strange proprietor, Alistair Grim, Grubb unfortunately must settle into his new position on the lam, as the whole of London is convinced that Alistair Grim is a villain bent on mass destruction. Grim, however, has come up with a plan to expose the real villain: Prince Nightshade, a wicked necromancer who wants the Odditorium’s power source for himself. With the evil prince hot on their trail, Grim, Grubb and the rest of the Odditorium's crew embark on a perilous adventure to find the legendary sword Excalibur: the only weapon capable of penetrating Nightshade's magical suit of armor. As expected, their quest turns out to be anything but ordinary. Not only can the Odditorium fly, but it can also swim! And so the crew battens down the hatches and sets off on an underwater voyage to the otherworldly realm of Avalon, home to Excalibur. Along the way, they must battle a banshee assassin, sea monsters, and a witch who seeks revenge on Alistair Grim for stealing her magical objects. But that’s not all. Unbeknownst to Grubb and the others, their fate has been written in an ancient Avalonian prophecy—a prophecy that holds the key to a destiny not even Alistair Grim could have possibly imagined."</i><br /><br />This is a story about a boy whose father is a magician and they live in this flying magical base in the 1800's fighting off evil villains. Anyone who knows my reading tastes knows this is right up my alley so naturally I wanted to give it a read. <br /><br />I really, really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I read about 1/3 of the book before I gave up.<br /><br />Firstly I struggled with the language being spoken. I know it was supposed to be in period but honestly it was so hard to follow and get into the rhythm of. It really didn't work for me.<br /><br />Secondly I didn't know this was the second book in the series so there was a lot of stuff being said in reference to the last book. Eventually the story in this book started and it was ok but I spent most of the first chapter not having a clue as to what was going on.<br /><br />Lastly I just wasn't feeling the characters at all. I am not sure why but I couldn't engage with them or their storylines.<br /><br />I suspect 10 year old boys who read this will enjoy the story, but for me I just couldn't get into it. Which was a shame as I really had high hopes for this book. <br /><br /><br />Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-4374437425753735852016-01-30T20:51:00.004+09:302016-01-30T20:51:54.504+09:30The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9361589-the-night-circus" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="The Night Circus" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387124618m/9361589.jpg" /></span></a><br /><b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My rating: ok not really my thing</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ISBN-10: 0099554798</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ISBN-13: 978-0099554790</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ASIN: B005AKFXZW</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Summary:</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads: Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. Le Cirque des Rêves The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter.</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am not really sure what happened with this book as for me I just didn't get into it like most other people seemed too. I should have liked this book as it ticks a lot of boxes for me but this just fell flat for me.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">While I enjoyed the world it was set in and enjoyed reading about the circus and the intricate duel the game turned into I just felt it was too slow and sometimes too detailed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It actually became a way for me at night to put myself to sleep. I would literally read 2 pages then get seriously sleepy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Not an awful book and I am sure people who like reading more epic fantasy type novels or dramas would like this, but for me it just didn't engage me the way I had hoped. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-64101795622191606542016-01-23T07:53:00.000+09:302016-01-23T07:53:02.941+09:30Too Loud Lily by Sofie Laguna<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.echidnasontheloose.com.au/images/P/TooLoudLily_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.echidnasontheloose.com.au/images/P/TooLoudLily_web.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Delightful</span></b><br />Age Range: 3 - 5 years<br />Hardcover: 32 pages<br />Publisher: Scholastic Press (March 1, 2004)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0439579139<br />ISBN-13: 978-0439579131<br /><br />Too Loud Lily is a story about Lily the Hippo who is just too loud and constantly gets into trouble for it, until one day a new teacher at school gets Lily into the school play and Lily can be herself.<br /><br />We got given this book for Christmas and I thought on our first read through that this book was written for my Little Miss who likes to be loud and adventurous. My son also enjoys the book and we have no read this many times in our house.<br /><br />Too Loud Lily really is a delightful read with a good message about staying true to yourself and finding your niche. Lily struggles in every day life being constantly told she is too loud. When she decides to join the school play she is able to be loud and she brings the house down with her performance, finally finding a place she can be herself.<br /><br />The illustrations showed Lily's sadness at the start of the book when she gets in trouble for reading to loud, laughing too loud, watching TV too loud, and waking the baby. Then when her new flamboyant teacher arrives you see Lily's transformation as the teacher asks her to be louder. This is music to Lily's ears as she gets to finally unleash her suppressed loudness.<br /><br />The reader see the progression of Lily from a young girl being forced into a box against her nature to a young girl who realises her abilities are not a negative but a positive in the right settings.<br /><br />A final note that Kerry Argent has done a wonderful job illustrating this book.<br /><br />This is a lovely little book perfect for helping children to learn to accept themselves for who they are.<br /><br /><b>Other stuff:</b><br />This book has been nominated for awards such as:<br /><br /><ul><li>Children’s Book Council of Australia Award for Book of the Year for Early Readers Honour Book 2003&nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;Oppenheim Best Book Award USA for 2005&nbsp;</li><li>Shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards 2003&nbsp;</li><li>Shortlisted for the Children’s Choice Picture Book of the Year 2003</li></ul><br /><br />Here is a video of the book Too Loud Lily being read so you can get an idea of the book&nbsp;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeXpSqsITMsMandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-47227622046670349632016-01-22T08:06:00.000+09:302016-01-22T08:06:01.534+09:30The Aeronauts Windlass by Jim Butcher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i0.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Aeronauts-Windlass-by-Jim-Butcher.jpg?fit=0%2C%209999&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i0.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Aeronauts-Windlass-by-Jim-Butcher.jpg?fit=0%2C%209999&amp;crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100" height="320" width="203" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Loved it!</span></b><br /><div>Series: The Cinder Spires (Book 1)<br /><div>Hardcover: 640 pages<br /><div>Publisher: Roc; 1st edition (September 29, 2015)<br /><div>Language: English<br /><div>ISBN-10: 0451466802<br /><div>ISBN-13: 978-0451466808</div><div><br />Summary:</div><div><i>Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace. Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory. And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake… </i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is no secret I am a big Jim Butcher fan and haven't disliked anything he has written to date, and he has written a new series which is set in a steam punk universe. Which will have you immersed in a rollicking fun adventure story. This series is firmly steam punk and interestingly this is a genre that in theory I like but in reality have rarely found a book that I can truly enjoy. This book (and hopefully series) reminded me why I like the steam punk genre.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Q_F3emMXy0/VjWIZEGfpsI/AAAAAAAABj4/ZvS8i2Yj0nU/s640/blogger-image--1125934493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Q_F3emMXy0/VjWIZEGfpsI/AAAAAAAABj4/ZvS8i2Yj0nU/s640/blogger-image--1125934493.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br />This story had an old style rollicking adventure sea faring adventure feel to it. Think Disney's "Treasure Planet" movie and you get an idea of the feel of this book. The story has a lot of action on both land and in the sky but the most impressive battle scenes were between the vessels in the sky. They had the feel of old sailing ship battles, with the excitement and tactics they would use, except set in the sky. One of Butcher's strengths is writing excellent battle scenes and the air ship battles will not disappoint.<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3Qq59zZWU6o/VjWITlN1lrI/AAAAAAAABjo/PuD53jY4aiU/s640/blogger-image--1284476892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3Qq59zZWU6o/VjWITlN1lrI/AAAAAAAABjo/PuD53jY4aiU/s640/blogger-image--1284476892.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G7kTjJFMpRY/VjWIX114Y0I/AAAAAAAABjw/yk1OWOwcz_M/s640/blogger-image--1113797002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G7kTjJFMpRY/VjWIX114Y0I/AAAAAAAABjw/yk1OWOwcz_M/s640/blogger-image--1113797002.jpg" /></a><br /><br />This has a different feel to Butcher's Harry Dresden series. Firstly this story is told from several different characters points of view. Secondly there are no supernatural beings like vampires and such (a talking cat or two and a weird spider like creature that is pretty deadly but that's about it). I actually enjoyed all the main characters and what they brought to the story. The cats were the stars though, just the best. Butcher captured a cat's thinking and behaviour pretty accurately.<br /><br />The world building is done very well with the right balance of action, pacing and development. You don't feel like you have had a heap of information dumped on you or that the story has slowed down due to explanation's. The world is interesting and fascinating with people living in "Spires" which seem to be massive cone shaped cities built on top of each other, with the world outside being dangerous and inhospitable to humans (but not weird vicious creatures), there are also airships which seem to be the main mode of travel, and magic well a bit of magic (talking cats and crystals not wizards dueling).</div><div><br /></div><div>I just enjoyed everything about this book from the action, to the humour, to the fight scenes, and the talking cats. This series could easily become another firm favourite of mine and I am excited to see where this series goes.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-35523333211643048552016-01-19T08:42:00.000+09:302016-01-19T08:42:02.105+09:30Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441601890l/26241940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441601890l/26241940.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Cute and Fun</span></b><br />Age: 12 and up<br />Print Length: 304 pages<br />Publisher: Allen &amp; Unwin (October 1, 2015)<br />Publication Date: September 23, 2015<br />Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00ZVYEBVY<br /><div><br /></div><div>I have not previously read a Garth Nix book, even though I am aware of his books. So I went into this book with no set expectations about how Nix wrote.</div><div><br /></div><div>This book was cute, fun and light hearted. I enjoyed being immersed in the alternate history which had a dash of romance. Everything about this is fluffy and predictable but it is fun. If you don't read this book expecting hard core fantasy and character development you should have fun.<br /><br />The story is set in the Regency period so you have lots of the social stigmas for a woman as well as carriages and ball gowns. I like the Truthful dressed as a man to investigate her families missing jewel even if it was predictable. Most of the book's humor came from the scenes where she had to pretend to be a man. I really enjoyed her Great-Aunt the most, and would love to read a book about her life prior to this book. I actually thought she sort of stole the book from its main characters to be honest.<br /><br />If I think about the story had a feel of lady detective then hard core Regency Gaslight genre. I found Truthful had more in common With Miss Phryne Fisher (Phyrne Fisher series) then Alexia Tarbotti (Parasol Protectorate series). While it is set in the Regency period with magic involved, I would (now I am thinking about it) definitely put this in more of the lady detective genre.<br /><br />Also I didn't get the point to Truthful's three male cousins. They seems a bit of a waste of space in terms of story telling. They didn't add a single thing to the story other then to show that Truthful's family are kinda useless. I also wished we had learned more about the fairy and her motivations she almost seemed written in as a fairy purely to add an extra magical element. Her character could have served its role as a normal human. As a fairy she certainly didn't do anything well fairy like.</div><div><br />The romance is very tame and sweet, and very appropriate for the age group (Middle school) it is aimed at. For an adult reader it felt a little forced however at the same time I didn't sit there rolling my eyes at it.<br /><br />The action when it happens is fast paced and well written. The final scene on the ship was particularly good. I have seen reviews that said Nix's<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>It was a fun cute read.The book didn't really wow me or leave a lasting impression but it was fun and I would read another book in the series I think (at least one more). It is a perfect starting book for young teens who are interested in this genre. I can see young girls in particular liking this story.</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-33744330219414467072016-01-14T13:46:00.000+09:302016-01-14T13:46:00.675+09:30Illuminae by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956l/23395680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956l/23395680.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Awesome!</span></b></div>Series: The Illuminae Files<br />Hardcover: 608 pages<br />Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (October 20, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0553499114<br />ISBN-13: 978-0553499117<br />Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.9 x 9.5 inches<br /><br />Summary:<br /><i>This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again. Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.</i><br /><div><br /></div>This book has been receiving a lot of buzz on the blogger verse and when "<a href="http://www.tickettoanywhere.net/reviews/series/the-illuminae-files" target="_blank">Ticket to Anywhere</a>" raved about it in her review, I knew I had to give it ago. The raving is well deserved, it is a thrill ride of a book that is action packed and I was hooked the minute I started reading. I am afraid this review might just be full of me raving about how much I enjoyed it and less about the actual book.<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-amjfiGtu9Bk/VjWEqftdi5I/AAAAAAAABjU/s8lK2v_as-c/s640/blogger-image-138231209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-amjfiGtu9Bk/VjWEqftdi5I/AAAAAAAABjU/s8lK2v_as-c/s640/blogger-image-138231209.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>This has to be one of the best science-fiction books I have read in a long time. Definitely one of my top reads for the year. I was hooked and invested the whole way through.The pace was fast with the characters bouncing from one disaster to another. t was well crafted to reveal just enough information at the right time building the story till you get to the action packed ending.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HI2Y7DWVFG8/VjWEmY-EeDI/AAAAAAAABjM/8F_8GBuZ1Bk/s640/blogger-image--1713387093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HI2Y7DWVFG8/VjWEmY-EeDI/AAAAAAAABjM/8F_8GBuZ1Bk/s640/blogger-image--1713387093.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1sbIxPK-U14/VjWBT_znByI/AAAAAAAABjA/BLFTfz4Et_o/s640/blogger-image-73328660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1sbIxPK-U14/VjWBT_znByI/AAAAAAAABjA/BLFTfz4Et_o/s640/blogger-image-73328660.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Format wise the story is told from data sources rather then a straight single or multiple person point of view. So the reader is reading transcripts, reports and chat log records which tells the story. I find this style of story telling hit or miss but his time it was a big hit. It suited the story perfectly. The book pages are also formatted this way as well. This formatting was a problem a few times when reading it as an ebook on a small screen. The font was super small and as it was an image not font I couldn't enlarge it. So there were a couple of pages where i had to guess what was going on. I don't think I missed anything of significance though.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really liked Kady as a character who was tough and nerdy. Ezra was the loveable jock. The two made an interesting duo who counterbalanced each others weakness and strengths.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a3vUwjIMu9o/VjWEr1m1lzI/AAAAAAAABjc/5QGt2aJvlvQ/s640/blogger-image-5734133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a3vUwjIMu9o/VjWEr1m1lzI/AAAAAAAABjc/5QGt2aJvlvQ/s640/blogger-image-5734133.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>There were some difficult scenes to read and there is quite a death toll (as you would expect when a town is attacked, then refugees flee for their lives with the enemy chasing them and a plague out break happens). While the violence isn't super descriptive or unnecessary there were definitely a few scenes in the book that were on the squimish side.<br /><br />If you like Sci-Fi and Young adult then this book should definitely be on your to read list.</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-40257112228633254672016-01-05T13:19:00.000+09:302016-01-05T13:19:04.115+09:30Uprooted by Naomi Novik<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.biblioimages.com/macmillanaus/getimage.aspx?class=books&amp;cat=default&amp;size=large&amp;id=28718" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.biblioimages.com/macmillanaus/getimage.aspx?class=books&amp;cat=default&amp;size=large&amp;id=28718" width="215" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Enjoyable</span></b><br />Publisher: Del Rey (May 19, 2015)<br />Publication Date: May 19, 2015<br />Sold by: Random House LLC<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00KUQIU7O<br /><br />Summary<br /><i>“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose."</i><br /><br />I have previously been a fan of Novik's "Temeraire" series which is an alternate history set during the 1700s and had dragons. So when I saw Novik had branched out this I was keen to try.<br /><div><br /></div><div>This book is not an alternate history like her Temaraire series. It is straight up fantasy. But while it is a fantasy, there was a strong link to European (I believe Polish) culture and mythology which is evident through out the book. The names of characters, places and the mythological beings all reflection the Polish back ground. Also while there &nbsp;is technically a dragon, it is just a wizard who has that name.<br /><br />The main character Agnieszka was an interesting character to see the world from. She was smart and adventurous. I did have problems with her relationship with the Prince and the Dragon. Her relationship with the Dragon seemed kind of "Stockholm Syndrome"-ish. I really couldn't see how in short space of time they spent time together that she could go from hating and distrusting him to liking him. So I have put it down to her being his captive and kind of imprinting on him. The Prince was a jerk and deserved more then a punch to the face. I can understand why Agnieszka and the Dragon didn't take things further but still that whole relationship felt forced and weird. Also don't get me started on creep leacher wizard, but at least he was never anything more then he was.</div><div><br /></div><div>Novak is able to balance a fast paced story, with development and world building. The world was interesting and I enjoyed the characters. There were some minor plot holes or things that maybe were not explained fully but overall it was a good story that kept moving easily.</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed the book, it didn't wow me but it was a good break away book and holds promise of being an interesting series (if it turns into series). If you are a fan of Novik then you should enjoy</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-65732056703893401392015-12-29T10:38:00.000+09:302015-12-29T10:38:05.479+09:30The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer<b><span style="color: #660000;">Series Rating: A fun series that is action packed and sassy</span></b><br /><div><div><br />A series that twists the fairy tales we know so well into an amazing sci-fi young adult novel full of action, suspense and interesting characters. Please see most recent review at the bottom of this post.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388186881l/11235712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388186881l/11235712.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: An addictive book</span></b><br /><b>Cinder</b><br /><b>Age Range: 12 - 18 years</b><br />Publisher: Puffin (January 5, 2012)<br />Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0141340134<br />ISBN-13: 978-0141340135<br />ASIN: B0065GC0PG<b><br /></b></div><div><br />Summary:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. This is the tale of Cinderella. Only not like you have heard it before. For starters Cinder is a cyborg and it's the future where there are people living on the moon and hover cars.</i></blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>I had seen this book around for awhile and to be honest I am generally weary of "buzz" books because more often then not I don't like them. I am happy to say this time I was proved wrong, dead wrong. This book was just a wow book for me, I couldn't put i down, thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Easily one of my best reads for 2014 (even though it was released a few years back, never mind).</div><div><br /></div><div>Meyer's has done a wonderful job retelling the Cinderella story but kept it fresh and interesting. I liked the twist of Cinder being a Cyborg and that the Prince was actually more then a bit of beautiful fluff just hanging around waiting for some twit to leave her shoe on his stair case.<br /><br />Cinder's step (adoptive guardian) and sister are suitable horrible. But I really cant say any more on the characters with out giving the story away.<br /><br />Don't assume that because you know the Cinderella story that you know what will happen!</div><div><br /></div><div>There was action, excitement, romance, and witty banter and one liners. While this book is a "light" book it did deal with some heavy topics like discrimination, plague, and moral dilemmas. I found it interesting that Cinder being cyborg showed way more humanity then some of the humans.<br /><br />Definitely read this if it is on your to be read pile!<br />Series Post Updated - 11/1/2015<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342485529l/13206760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342485529l/13206760.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: A fun read and addictive</span></b><br /><b>Scarlett</b><br /><b>Age Range: 14 - 18 years</b><br />Publisher: Puffin (January 5, 2012)<br />Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 1250007216<br />ISBN-13: 978-1250007216<br />ASIN: B00ADNPAOK<br /><b><br /></b>Summary:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>SCARLET BENOIT'S grandmother is missing. The police have closed her case. The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other. Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive - when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana. As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels. Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner . . .</i></blockquote><b><br /></b>So book one&nbsp;<i>Cinder&nbsp;</i>left me hanging for the next book, I HAD to know what happened next. Book two didn't disappoint.<br /><br />It introduced three new characters and a new fairy tale. We saw the continuation of Cinder's story and her meeting Captain Thorne; who reminded me of Hans Solo in that he was a lovable rogue with a very lose view on laws, quick wit. We are also introduced to Scarlet and Wolf, who are trying to find Scarlett's kidnapped Grandmother.<br /><br />This book for me was a little darker then&nbsp;<i>Cinder</i>, in that the author shows and describes a few murders and we meet some pretty nasty characters. The action is pretty good and I would be super surprised if this series hasn't been picked up to be turned into a movie. &nbsp;But let me be clear it doesn't read like a movie script (and some books do) There is still depth there and character development.<br /><br />We got to see some of Queen Levana's point of view which to me felt a little odd but I can only assume book three will now show some of her "side of the story". Could it be she isn't quite the evil meglomaniac with super powers she has been made out to be? Would be a smidgeon of a shame as she has made a fantastic super villain so far.<br /><br />I can't wait to start book three!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375303756l/13206828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375303756l/13206828.jpg" height="200" width="144" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: A nice addition to the series</span></b><br /><b>Cress</b><br />Publisher: Puffin (February 6, 2014)<br />Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00G2SJQAO<br />ISBN: 0312642970<br /><br />Summary:<br /><i>In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.</i><br /><br />I can see why some people felt this book was a bit of a let down compared to the first two books. It is slower paced as there is a lot of information being revealed (with out it feeling like to much information in a short period of time) and story arcs being told. There was also some big story developments happening and reveals. Finally it is being told from at least 5 different points of view (I think it may have even been more). To me this slowed the story down a little.<br /><br />However I still enjoyed this book thoroughly and thought the author did a good job of blending all the points of views, expanding on the story and action. Because there was still action.<br /><br />Cress is not as sassy as Cinder and Scarlet were, however she will make a good addition to the team going forward through the series.<br /><br />So I am now hanging out for book 4!<br /><b><br /></b><b>Overall Series thoughts to date</b><br />I love the clever blend of fairy tale and sci-fi which to me is so interesting. Also I like that the female characters are really strong role models for young girls (ah cliched I know). But they are. They aren't silly screaming girly heroines who do ridiculously stupid things (like follow a criminal down a dark ally all alone without telling anyone and have no self defence skills or a gun), but they are not ridiculously super powerful beyond their means. They are smart and capable girls who get stuff done. Even the evil Queen who has been shown as a power hungry psycho (well what evil leader trying to take over the world wouldn't be?) has been shown to be very calculating, intelligent and even logical. Even when things went a bit topsy turvey she still managed to manoeuvre a bad situation to her own advantage.<br /><br />Also I love the cover art for these books. So simple but colourful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.marissameyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Winter-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.marissameyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Winter-final.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: A good ending to the series</span></b><br /> <b>Winter</b><br />Age Range: 12 - 18 years<br /><div>Series: The Lunar Chronicles (Book 4)<br /><div>Hardcover: 832 pages<br /><div>Publisher: Feiwel &amp; Friends (November 10, 2015)<br /><div>Language: English<br /><div>ISBN-10: 0312642989<br /><div>ISBN-13: 978-0312642983<b><br /></b><br />Summary:<br /> <i>Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long. Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?&nbsp;</i><br /><br />&nbsp;I felt<a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/fairest-by-marissa-meyer.html" target="_blank"> Fairest</a> was a bit of a wasted novella. I had no idea if I was supposed to feel more sympathetic or hate her after learning more about Levanna's back story. To be honest I just didn't care enough. The book didn't move me either way. Now in Winter, Levanna's got to put on her evil Queen boots and get her paranoid-psycho-nastiness on again. I enjoyed her way more as a character in this book then in previous books. She is a good baddie, I like her better being a baddie.<br /><div><br /></div><div>This book had a lot of different points of views, and I mean a lot. At least 8 that I can think of while writing this. That is a lot. All these points of views grew over the series as each character was added, in the first book we had Kai and Cinder and then in the second we added Scarlet and Wolf and so on. But in the this book they all converge and it can get a bit much. Luckily there isn't a point of view that I think was not necessary. They all added to the story and helped keep track of what was going down (as there was a lot happening).<br /><br />Without giving much away I thought the final book managed to wrap up all the story arc's satisfactorily and kept true to their original fairy tale. I did really like Winter and hoped her ending would have been different.</div><b><br /></b><b><br /></b><b>Series Overall Recommendation</b><br />Read this series if this is your type of thing. It is a fun and interesting series.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-43451309412849455542015-11-27T13:52:00.000+09:302015-12-27T07:17:09.309+09:30Black-Eyed Susan's by Julia Heaberlin<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431975016l/23746004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431975016l/23746004.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: I really liked it</span></b></div>Hardcover: 368 pages<br />Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 11, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0804177996<br />ISBN-13: 978-0804177993<br /><br />Summary<br /><i>I am the star of screaming headlines and campfire ghost stories. I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans. The lucky one. As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row. Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans—a summertime bloom—just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications—that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large—Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories—and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue. What they don’t know is that Tessa and the scared, fragile girl she was have built a fortress of secrets. As the clock ticks toward the execution, Tessa fears for her sanity, but even more for the safety of her teenaged daughter. Is a serial killer still roaming free, taunting Tessa with a trail of clues? She has no choice but to confront old ghosts and lingering nightmares to finally discover what really happened that night. Shocking, intense, and utterly original, Black-Eyed Susans is a dazzling psychological thriller, seamlessly weaving past and present in a searing tale of a young woman whose harrowing memories remain in a field of flowers—as a killer makes a chilling return to his garden.</i><br /><div><br /></div>I am not a huge crime genre fan. I tend to find them a bit to gruesome and graphic for my tastes. Recently "The Eclectic Reader" posted her review on "Black-Eyed Susan's" and I admit to feeling intrigued enough to give it a go.<br /><div><br /></div><div>This story is told from the point of view of Tessa, a survivor of a serial killer attack. The point of view swings from adult Tessa's view and 16 year old Tessa's view. I felt the two points of view were written well and merged seamlessly together. It was not distracting at all and worked together to build the mystery.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>The mystery in this book is revealed slowly and carefully with it being quite hard to guess the end result. I certainly didn't guess the big reveal that's for sure.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>There is very little graphic violence in this book. It focuses on the mystery and the story telling. Tessa does describe her moments laying in a ditch while dying but it never gets too graphic.</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed Tessa as a character. She has moved on with her life and had a daughter. She struggles to allow her daughter freedom and ensure her safety. I like that Tessa, despite obvious anxieties and fears, still managed to get her life together and function normally. But we see her struggle as she pieces together her past and deal with what happened to her, while being a mother.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really do recommend you read this book &nbsp;as it is a&nbsp;<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">clever, well written story with good pacing. I was hooked from the start and thoroughly enjoyed the story. If you would like to read another review check out Eclectic Readers review of <a href="http://teddyree-theeclecticreader.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/review-black-eyed-susans-by-julia.html" target="_blank">Black-Eyed Susans,</a> which is what brought this book to my attention in the first place.</span></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-50595839155709802842015-11-15T15:24:00.000+09:302015-11-15T15:24:07.606+09:30The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435631879l/25821928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435631879l/25821928.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Delightful</span></b><br /><div>Age Range: 10 - 14 years</div>Grade Level: 5 - 8<br />Hardcover: 336 pages<br />Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (January 5, 2016)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 1492623245<br />ISBN-13: 978-1492623243<br /><b>Release Date: 1 January 2016</b><br /><div><br /></div><div>Summary:<br /><i>"I thought you might sleep through it." The creature smiled. Saki's voice was little more than a whisper. "Sleep through what?" It leaned over. She stared into its will-o'-the-wisp eyes. "The Night Parade, of course."&nbsp;</i><br /><br />The last thing Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer vacation is trade in exciting Tokyo for the antiquated rituals and bad cell reception of her grandmother's village. Preparing for the Obon ceremony is boring. Then the local kids take interest in Saki and she sees an opportunity for some fun, even if it means disrespecting her family's ancestral shrine on a malicious dare. But as Saki rings the sacred bell, the darkness shifts. A death curse has been invoked...and Saki has three nights to undo it. With the help of three spirit guides and some unexpected friends, Saki must prove her worth-or say goodbye to the world of the living forever..."<br /><br /><br /></div><div>I was initially drawn to this story as it dealt with Japanese culture and mythology, and it was set in Japan. I am very glad I read this book as it was one of the most delightful and enchanting reads I have had in a very long time. &nbsp;The story reminded me of old fashioned adventure stories where children go to mythical lands and learn valuable lessons.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hfTlmggfwIY/VjoCRjdHtCI/AAAAAAAABkY/w4we-0_-TTU/s640/blogger-image--2055898284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hfTlmggfwIY/VjoCRjdHtCI/AAAAAAAABkY/w4we-0_-TTU/s640/blogger-image--2055898284.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The book is set in Japan with Japanese mythology as its main focus, however the story is more complex then that and deals with issues such as trying to balance tradition and modern living, teenagers trying to find their way, and family relationships. IT is done subtly and is part of Saki's journey through the spiritual world.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pwtYxaAM2_0/Vjsz7dDoZcI/AAAAAAAABkw/0D7XSKuo4Lc/s640/blogger-image--484761149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pwtYxaAM2_0/Vjsz7dDoZcI/AAAAAAAABkw/0D7XSKuo4Lc/s640/blogger-image--484761149.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The writing style is very descriptive and elegant which fit the story perfectly. The Spirit world was fantastical, beautiful and dark which the author captured perfectly. I was swept away with the writing, and felt transported to this world, heck I wanted to visit the world (without the dying and scary spirits part).<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mCwEL-ag_-M/VjoCO5utbtI/AAAAAAAABkI/KIY5GFlD-us/s640/blogger-image-1667062551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mCwEL-ag_-M/VjoCO5utbtI/AAAAAAAABkI/KIY5GFlD-us/s640/blogger-image-1667062551.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The knowledge Tanquary has about Japanese mythology is evident. Having previously studied Japanese culture through school (and watching a lot of anime and reading a lot of manga) I easily recognised the mythological beings and religious/traditional concepts the author introduces. So I was pleased to see these mythological beings come alive on the pages and they kept true to the "nature" of these beings in tradition.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I confess to not particularly liking Saki at the start of the book and it was hard to feel a connection with her, Saki is a modern girl who &nbsp;is self absorbed and rude. However her journey through the spirit world teaches her some valuable lessons about friendship, history, belief, traditions, dealing with bullies and how to treat people. By the end of the story I was much more invested in her as a character.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The majority of the supporting characters were spirits that provided the had most of the best lines and were the most enjoyable to read. She had three main guides; the fox, the tengu, and the tanuki. Each had its own distinctive personality which mirrored their mythology persona. Tanuki was probably my favourite being cheeky and fun. But I confess to like the Tengu as well, who reminded me of a spirit version go Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. There were other supporting characters such as Saki's brother, parents, Grandmother and the girl from the village Maeda, but these characters didn't seem as developed or have much development other then to help highlight the lessons Saki learned in the spirit world.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-krRK828BU-c/VjoCQfi8m6I/AAAAAAAABkQ/TRuUO6_9rlA/s640/blogger-image-1177778583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-krRK828BU-c/VjoCQfi8m6I/AAAAAAAABkQ/TRuUO6_9rlA/s640/blogger-image-1177778583.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Despite the theme of being supernatural in nature and dealing with spirits, it wasn't very scary at all, and I am a big scardey cat so if I wasn't scared, then it wasn't scary. There is no violence in the book and but there is some dramatic scenes.</div><div><br /></div><div>My final point is on the cover which is beautiful! I would be lying if I didn't say it was a significant reason as to why I chose this book. The version I read was an ebook but I will be getting a hard cover of this book when it released. I am so glad the story inside was just as lovely as the cover.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would highly recommend this book to children aged 10 and above, and any adult who enjoys the genre. It is a perfect book to begin learning about Japanese mythology and culture. This book left me feeling happy after reading it, and I closed it with a smile on my face. A rare feel good book, that is just enjoyable.<br /><br /><i>A copy of this book was provided to me by Netgalley for a fair and honest review.</i></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-26539483029714011712015-09-23T15:11:00.000+09:302015-09-23T15:11:00.144+09:30Fairest by Marissa Meyer<a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/lunarchronicles/images/c/c5/Fairest_Cover.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20140618102100" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/lunarchronicles/images/c/c5/Fairest_Cover.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20140618102100" height="200" width="131" /></a><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: It's OK</span></b><br />Age Range: 12 - 18 years<br />Series: The Lunar Chronicles<br />Hardcover: 272 pages<br />Publisher: Feiwel &amp; Friends (January 27, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 1250060559<br />ISBN-13: 978-1250060556<br /><br />Summary:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death.</i></blockquote><br /><div>While this story was an interesting view into Queen Levana's life, it really didn't add much to the series as a story. Her early life was a pretty rough life for a princess; full of deceit, manipulation and violence. It goes down hill from there. With every decision she makes she travels further down the wicked Queen path.</div><div><br /></div><div>She is not a character you feel particularly warm and fuzzy about. While the reader may feel a little sympathy over events that shaped her ultimately the I didn't like her much. From word go while you feel sympathy that the Queen had a pretty abusive and isolated up bringing and that initially she had good intentions trying to rule the nation in her sisters stead, and not be like her sister or family. Ultimately she ended up being the worst as at least her family never pretended to be any thing different.<br /><br />This is perhaps my least favourite out of the series and probably would have been ok with not having read this story (in hindsight). I mean we already know she is a horrible individual and there was nothing in this book that made you feel sympathetic to her, that she was misunderstood, or that she got there by accident. The book didn't really add anything to the series as a whole other then at the end when we get a peek at Winter and her story (the next book).</div><div><br /></div><div>I will be interested to see if the events in this book relate to the next book. If it doesn't directly tie in, I would almost say skip this book &nbsp;as it really didn't add much to the series and the main character is not sympathetic at all.</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-22481397611462378592015-09-19T15:35:00.000+09:302015-09-19T15:35:00.365+09:30The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://53dde335a2dce2ca942c-498c68ea2e9d4fdb160dd89f86b552f2.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/v2/large/9780/8575/9780857534811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://53dde335a2dce2ca942c-498c68ea2e9d4fdb160dd89f86b552f2.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/v2/large/9780/8575/9780857534811.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Loved it</span></b><br />Hardcover: 352 pages<br />Publisher: Doubleday Childrens (27 Aug. 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0857534815<br />ISBN-13: 978-0857534811<br /><br />Summary:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"<i>Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. ¬The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength. This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad. As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land. There will be a reckoning. . .</i>"</blockquote>A bitter sweet book to read. On the one hand I was super excited as it is the newest Terry Pratchett disc world book, on the other hand it is the last book that will ever be published. It is sad for me that I will not have a Pratchett book to look forward too or purchase ever again, or get a chance to meet him. Pratchett books have been a part of my life for around 20 years.<br /><br />This book wasn't actually finished when Terry Pratchett died, I am not sure who finished the book off but you could tell the parts Pratchett wrote and the parts another author wrote. Even though I think they did a valiant effort to make the writing styles as seamless as possible. I feel for the writer who was asked to fill in the gaps, it must have been a monumental challenge.<br /><br />Regardless I still loved this book. We have all the Witches back, the Wee Free Men and an array of old and new characters. I liked the character development of Tiffany as her storyline reflects what most young women (and people) experience when their training is finished and they begin in their chosen careers. Trying to form their own identity and their own establish their own style.<br /><br />Geoffrey is a great character and I enjoyed his story that deals with sexism and change (he wants to be a witch but only women can be witches). Which mirrors the same themes explored in "Equal Rites" of a woman becoming a wizard. I am sad we won't see Geoffrey again.<br /><br />There were laughs to be had and I will admit to a few tears, as well as a "no why? why has that happened" yelled at the book. The usual Pratchett wit and insight into human behaviour is present which won't disappoint fans.<br /><br />I found that this book was a fitting end to the Discworld series and to Terry Pratchetts life with the passing of one of Discworlds most loved characters. I don't want to give away too much but I won't lie that it had me crying as I read the scene. It is a book about change, life and death, and a final farewell from the Pratchett.<br /><br />Good bye Terry Pratchett and thank you.Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-23297424830356101422015-09-15T14:51:00.000+09:302015-09-15T14:51:00.495+09:30Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333251079l/13101761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333251079l/13101761.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: It was OK</span></b><br />Format: Kindle Edition<br />File Size: 1907 KB<br />Print Length: 496 pages<br />Publisher: Random House Australia (20 March 2012)<br />Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B007C6VASQ<br /><br />Summary:<br /><i>"The amazing power and truth of the Rapunzel fairy tale comes alive for the first time in this breathtaking tale of desire, black magic and the redemptive power of love French novelist Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens... After Margherita's father steals parsley from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition. Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does. Award-winning author Kate Forsyth braids together the stories of Margherita, Selena, and Charlotte-Rose, the woman who penned Rapunzel as we now know it, to create what is a sumptuous historical novel, an enchanting fairy tale retelling, and a loving tribute to the imagination of one remarkable woman."</i><br /><br />I am sad to say this is probably my least favourite book by Forsyth that I have read, and I have that feeling like I read a different book to everyone else as all my blogger friends who I trust, said they loved this book, meanwhile I just couldn't get into it.<br /><br />I think my main issue was the different points of views which for me is an annoyance. I found the change of view hard to over come to really enjoy the story. I know the book is told from three different points of view but while reading it, I felt like I was reading three different books. But Forsyth did eventually tie the two different points of views together, so it did make sense as to why these stories were being told this way. By the end of the book I wasn't as frustrated with the different points of view as I was at the start.<br /><div><br /></div><div>My other main issue was that I found Charolette-Rose's story fascinating and got irritated that I had to change point of view mid story to continue someone else's. I feel like I know the characters of Le Straga and Marghaerite much better then Charolette-Rose' character. As I mentioned before Charolette-Rose was an interesting historical figure who lived in the court of 16 Century France, that witnessed many turbulent times, and wrote fairy tales. I mean she dressed as a dancing best to rescue her lover, does this not sound like a character you want to get to know? Yet I don't feel like I know her very well at all by the end of the book compared to Le Straga and Margherite.</div><div><br /></div><div>The saving grace of this book is Forsyth's writing, which is always is so whimsical and descriptive. She can easily capture your imagination and send you to the era she is writing in. Her books are also very well researched which makes for a more authentic feel to the story. The story was interesting (both stories) and I liked how Forsyth ended the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really wanted to like this story more but I couldn't the different points of views just annoyed me to much to really get into the story which was lovely and interesting (all three of them). I wish I could have enjoyed the book more but I just couldn't.</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-27033519495218821762015-09-12T14:57:00.000+09:302015-09-12T14:57:00.208+09:30The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416823893l/21416690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416823893l/21416690.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Loved it!&nbsp;</span></b><br />Reading Age: 13 and up<br />Publisher: Pan; Main Market Ed. edition (15 Jan. 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 1447256239<br />ISBN-13: 978-1447256236<br /><br />Summary<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="color: #38761d;">Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book. Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own. Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.</span></blockquote><br />Well I am not sure I could gush, rave, totally fan girl out any more about this book. I dont even know where to begin with this review I just really enjoyed this book. Easily, hands down, top of the list for favourite book for this year.<br /><br />A world where you can live in a library, travel to other dimensions, and collect books (borderline steal, ok not so borderline, but its for the good of literature across the universe &nbsp;and preserving the book). Did I mention LIVE IN A LIBRARY? Do I really need to say more?<br /><div><br /></div><div>Ok perhaps I do. One aspect I really liked about this book was a the world the author had created. A central library or world that links other worlds through books. The Librarians collect (sometimes steal) special books that can only be found in that universe, and strengthens the ties the library has to that world.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed all the characters, though dragon boy seemed a bit scattered sometimes. Perhaps this is because he was in a human shape and couldn't really control his emotions in that form? I am not sure but emotionally he seemed scattered (that is the best way I can think to describe it without being spoilery).&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Irene is a good heroine being smart, quick thinking, and not a damsel in distress (by this I mean perfectly capable of doing stuff until the cute male lead comes along and then suddenly seems rendered incapable of getting stuff done). She has faults and quirks, and is by no means perfect, but she doesn't fall into the cliched role of "bad ass heroine until cute guy comes along to save her". She gets stuff done and has a job to do, don't get in her way or distract her with your pretty boy looks.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned above this is probably at the top of my list for favourite read of the year. I enjoyed this book that much. I and so much fun reading it and was disappointed when it ended. However I console myself with the fact a second book is out around Christmas and I have preordered it!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-70054932479204051802015-09-09T14:32:00.001+09:302015-09-09T14:32:55.760+09:30Spelled by Betsy Schow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420756368m/24380140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420756368m/24380140.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating: Enjoyed</span></b><br />Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (June 2, 2015)<br />Publication Date: June 2, 2015<br />Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00SG8TG3K<br /><br />Summary<br /><i>Fairy Tale Survival Rule #32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day. Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks―like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the not-so-charming prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future. Talk about unhappily ever after. Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called "Kansas." Now it's up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse...before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story.</i><br /><br />You know those guilty pleasure type shows which are brainless and silly but you still cant help watching it every week (or whenever you can)? Because for you it is just fun, and you can switch your brain off, you know the shows that are brain candy? Well this book for me was a brain candy book.<br /><br />The story is a mash up of fairy tales with the Wizard of Oz story being the main story it follows, and it seems to be set prior to the Wizard of Oz books. The author has woven in references to just about every children's story ever, and threw in some current pop culture references as well (such as when Dorthea says "let it go snow boy let it go" and e books being enchanted books).<br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E_hbAkM6yBA/Vao_li5-vYI/AAAAAAAABho/wH2by83H4wY/s640/blogger-image-590077262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E_hbAkM6yBA/Vao_li5-vYI/AAAAAAAABho/wH2by83H4wY/s640/blogger-image-590077262.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E_hbAkM6yBA/Vao_li5-vYI/AAAAAAAABho/wH2by83H4wY/s640/blogger-image-590077262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R44kid3ybcc/Vao_nFAhJQI/AAAAAAAABhw/rBEsqDJ2RBE/s640/blogger-image--1778968144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R44kid3ybcc/Vao_nFAhJQI/AAAAAAAABhw/rBEsqDJ2RBE/s640/blogger-image--1778968144.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />So we have spoiled brat princess, arrogant annoying prince (and now fiance to spoiled brat Princess), and snarky side kick having to travel across the ruined fair tale landscape and try to fix everything. To be fair to Dorthea (Princess), she had never ever been allowed out of the castle so it is understandable she is a little self absorbed when all she can do is online shop. I was happy with the character development and felt it was done in line with the events that occured. Dorthea had a steep learning curve.<br /><br />This will be a short review because really all you need to know is the book is a fairy tale mash up/satire, it made me laugh and I had fun reading it. If you want a quick fun read this might be what you need.</div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-45631447439916289372015-07-23T14:43:00.001+09:302015-07-23T14:43:10.399+09:30The Last Queen of India by Michelle Moran<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91KuFtydhzL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91KuFtydhzL._SL1500_.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></span></b></a><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating 4 out of 5</span></b><br />File Size: 515 KB<br />Print Length: 368 pages<br />Publisher: Quercus (2 April 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00B83PODQ<br /><br />Synopsis:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">1857, India. At nineteen years old, Sita is the shining star of Queen Lakshmi of India's imperial guard, having pledged herself to a life of celibacy in the name of protecting the young ruler. When Sita agrees to train Lakshmi in the art of military combat, a close friendship develops between the two women. But trouble soon threatens - Lakshmi's court is dangerously divided and rumours are rife that the country is at risk. Meanwhile, in London, advisors to Queen Victoria are looking to extend the power of the Commonwealth, and India is coveted as the next jewel in the imperial crown. In the ensuing battle, will the bond between Lakshmi and Sita be broken for ever?</span></i></blockquote><br />Michelle Moran is by far my favourite historical fiction author at the moment. She has a knack for writing about women in history whose stories are not well known to Western cultures. <a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/madame-tussaud-novel-of-french.html" target="_blank">Madame Tussaud</a>&nbsp;and Napoleons second wife <a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-second-empress-novel-of-napoleons.html" target="_blank">Marie-Louise</a> being prime examples. Her books are always very well researched with only slight deviations to the actual time line of events.<br /><div></div><div>This book tells the story of India's Queen Lakshimi of Jhansi from the point of view of her guard Sita. While the focus is on Sita and her life it surrounds the Queen and we get great insight into the Queens life and events during her last year's of reign and the rebellion that she helped lead.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jqd0PIGnlYU/Vao-xNG5HtI/AAAAAAAABhg/m8biVA7NnrY/s640/blogger-image-1520226101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jqd0PIGnlYU/Vao-xNG5HtI/AAAAAAAABhg/m8biVA7NnrY/s200/blogger-image-1520226101.jpg" width="200" /></a>First Sita is a wonderful character. I just adored her and I'm pretty sure it's not just because she is a reader and had some wonderful lines about reading. She is intelligent, caring, practical, athletic and dedicated. It was easy to connect with her and follow her story.</div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>The Queen herself was fascinating and her story sad and inspiring at the same time. Sad knowing that all her efforts to resolve the situation peacefully with England were for nothing. England wanted it's India jewel and it was going to get it. Inspiring because she still tried and tried again, never giving up the hope that she could save her people and Kingdom.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4SbkGZi5EWQ/Vao-vzYkkWI/AAAAAAAABhY/hwjuRwdyErA/s640/blogger-image--50103667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4SbkGZi5EWQ/Vao-vzYkkWI/AAAAAAAABhY/hwjuRwdyErA/s200/blogger-image--50103667.jpg" width="200" /></a>It was really difficult to read the struggles that women faced in India then, and I know in some areas, still do today. Sita's upbringing is particularly horrible, made worse by her awful Grandmother. But I understand better the hurdles the women in India have had to overcome to get the level of freedom many currently have.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>It was also difficult to read about the truly horrific acts of cruelty displayed by both the British army and the rebels. Slaughtering so many innocents because they could, and justifying it by saying "they did it first". Then the cultural insensitivity displayed by the British at the time is also awful (such as opening a butchers next to a Hindu temple).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ix_5sjoOthM/Vao-ubqRO1I/AAAAAAAABhQ/F6cUZvcCAo4/s640/blogger-image--575947079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ix_5sjoOthM/Vao-ubqRO1I/AAAAAAAABhQ/F6cUZvcCAo4/s200/blogger-image--575947079.jpg" width="200" /></a>This was a wonderfully written book with Moran bringing to life on the pages the world Sita lived in, while highlighting Indian culture (both good and bad), and bringing to life an important historical figure.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />Hands down this is probably my second all time favourite Moran book and highly recommend it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Previously reviewed Michelle Moran books<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/madame-tussaud-novel-of-french.html" target="_blank">Madame Tussaud</a></li><li><a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-second-empress-novel-of-napoleons.html" target="_blank">The Second Empress</a></li><li><a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/nefertiti-by-michelle-moran.html" target="_blank">Nefertiti</a></li><li><a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/the-heretic-queen-by-michelle-moran.html" target="_blank">The Heretic Queen</a></li></ul></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-56353532660523635012015-07-09T20:10:00.000+09:302015-07-09T20:10:00.738+09:30The Very Noisy Bear by Nick Bland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9781743627853/the-very-noisy-bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9781743627853/the-very-noisy-bear.jpg" height="320" width="306" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating 4 out of 5</span></b><br />ISBN: 9781743627853<br />ISBN-10: 1743627858 <br />Series: Cranky Bear<br />Audience: Children For Ages: 3 - 6 years old<br />Format: Hardcover<br />Language: English<br />Number Of Pages: 24<br />Published: 1st July 2015 <br /><br />Cranky Bear is back for his fifth book in the series. This time Cranky gets his music on and tries to find a musical instrument he can play with rather disastrous results. He is joined by his jungle friends (Lion, Zebra, Moose and Sheep) who try to help him navigate the world of musical instruments.<br /><br />We are huge fans of the series here and have all the books (The Very Cranky Bear, The Very Itchy Bear, The Very Hungry Bear, and The Very Brave Bear). Saw this on the shelf and didn't even think twice before putting it in the shopping trolley. Glad I did.<br /><br />This is another lovely story of Bear learning to keep trying and never give up. Bear is really quite terrible at playing all the instruments given to him. Just as he was about to give up he started to sing and what do you know, he totally rocks at singing.<br /><br />Everything about these books are delightful, the art work, the lyrical story, the message behind the story. You do not have to read them in order either so just pick up a book and away you go.<br /><br />Another wonderful installment in the series that your kids will love if they are Cranky Bear fans.Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-48616382558740776312015-07-05T19:32:00.000+09:302015-07-05T19:32:00.253+09:30Pig The Pug by Aaron Blabey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9781743624777/pig-the-pug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://covers.booktopia.com.au/big/9781743624777/pig-the-pug.jpg" height="320" width="294" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating 5 out of 5</span></b><br />ISBN: 9781743624777<br />ISBN-10: 1743624778 <br />Audience: Children For Ages: 3 - 5 years old<br />Format: Hardcover <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>"Pig was a Pug and I'm sorry to say, he was greedy and selfish in most every way." Pig is the greediest Pug in the world. He is ill-tempered, rude and unreasonable. When Pig the Pug is asked to share his toys, something unexpected happens. Hopefully Pig has learned a lesson!"</i></blockquote><br />This might just be my favourite picture book of the year! Such a fun and interesting story. I would be shocked if you read this book and didn't find yourself laughing along with your child.<br /><br />We are introduced to Pig, a very selfish Pug dog who will not share his toys. Goes out of his way to be a meanie and then learns his lesson when he tumbles out of the window (while standing on and lording over his pile of toys).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aaronblabeybooks.com/sites/default/files/images/books/spreads/pigpage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.aaronblabeybooks.com/sites/default/files/images/books/spreads/pigpage.png" height="347" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />This story has a great moral to it that kids pick up on instantly. My son straight away said "that's not very nice" when Pig refused to share his toys and ran away with them. The later laughed as Pig tumbled from the window. His expert opinion is that the book was "brilliant" but I suspect it had more to do with the dog falling comically out the window rather than learning about sharing.<br /><br />I also adore the art work and think it brings out the humour in the story. Even though he is a selfish pug he really is adorable.<br /><br />The book is a delight to read to kids as a parent I really do pick books on what I want to read out loud. You do not want to read to your child if you are bored by the book (which is why the Spot books sit unread on the shelf *snooze* Spot is rather dull). But when you have a book like this with fun rhyming text and amazing artwork you can have fun yourself reading out loud doing the character voices.<br /><br />Do yourself a favour and get your hands on this book. I have already purchased it as a present for friends. This book has already cemented itself as one of the favourite reads in our household, and might just knock Nick Bland off his pedestal in our house. We have only had our copy of the book for a week and Bland's reign as top book has been several months. Only time will tell who will win the battle between Cranky Bear and Pig the Pug. So just get yourself a copy, you truly wont regret it.<br /><br /><br /><div class="field-items" style="background-color: #f6f0dc; color: #666666; font-family: Avenir; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><div class="field-item odd"></div></div><br />Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-11267382444645670172015-07-03T18:56:00.003+09:302015-07-03T18:56:33.089+09:30Tin Men by Christopher Golden<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NHsck3vGL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NHsck3vGL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Rating 3 out of 5</b></span><br />Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 23, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 034554885X<br />ISBN-13: 978-0345548856<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>After political upheaval, economic collapse, and environmental disaster, the world has become a hotspot, boiling over into chaos of near apocalyptic proportions. In this perpetual state of emergency, all that separates order from anarchy is the military might of a United States determined to keep peace among nations waging a free-for-all battle for survival and supremacy. But a conflict unlike any before demands an equally unprecedented fighting force on its front lines. Enter the Remote Infantry Corps: robot soldiers deployed in war zones around the world, controlled by human operators thousands of miles from the action. PFC Danny Kelso is one of these “Tin Men,” stationed with his fellow platoon members at a subterranean base in Germany, steering their cybernetic avatars through combat in the civil-war-ravaged streets of Syria. Immune to injury and death, this brave new breed of American warrior has a battlefield edge that’s all but unstoppable—until a flesh-and-blood enemy targets the Tin Men’s high-tech advantage in a dangerously game-changing counter strike. When anarchists unleash a massive electromagnetic pulse, short-circuiting the world’s technology, Kelso and his comrades-in-arms find themselves trapped—their minds tethered within their robot bodies and, for the first time, their lives at risk. Now, with rocket-wielding “Bot Killers” gunning for them, and desperate members of the unit threatening to go rogue, it’s the worst possible time for the Tin Men to face their most crucial mission. But an economic summit is under terrorist attack, the U.S. president is running for his life, and the men and women of the 1st Remote Infantry Division must take the fight to the next level—if they want to be the last combatants standing, not the first of their kind to fall forever.</i></blockquote><br />A sci fi action drama set in the distant future when things are not so rosey and a mecha force are enforcing peace.<br /><br />I could't really connect with the two main characters. I just didn't particularly like them. They felt a little shallow. I don't know how a military trained person would react in a situation where the world effectively ends, but they just seemed a little too calm and accepting of their situation. Strangely I thought the supporting characters had a lot more dimension too them. Particularly the 16 year old girl (whose name escapes me now) who probably experienced the most in the short time frame of the book.<br /><br />The best part about this book was the story. I think the robot enforcing law aspect aside, the concept of the electronic world we live in being taken offline at once, was a fascinating idea to explore. The characters themselves raise some interesting points that even if they could get the power back on it would be days, weeks even years to recover fully. The author clearly thought out the knock on effects and issues that surround this sort of event happening.It was an intriguing concept of having the worlds technology completely wiped out and our civilisation being sent back to the dark ages.<br /><br />Following on from the above point the general world building the author did was really good and was felt this future could easily be ours. A lot of research clearly went into this book and it showed through. I didn't feel like I was being bombarded with information yet I got enough information to know about the events prior to the world being taken off line. However some of the information delivery points were a little awkward, but not overly distracting.<br /><br />The action scenes are really good and are almost non stop as the Tin Men battle there way across the Middle East and Europe to get home. I did think to myself a couple of times how it was they only really ran out of bullets once or twice considering how much shooting was going on.<br /><br />An interesting book with a lot of possibilities. While I didn't love this book I would be interested to try this author again.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-90384307688419922015-05-30T07:55:00.002+09:302015-05-30T07:55:38.008+09:30Drachengott: Wind by KJ Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://enterprise.supacache.com/images/ckfinder/722/images/Billboards/Voyager/May-2015/Drachengott_Wind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://enterprise.supacache.com/images/ckfinder/722/images/Billboards/Voyager/May-2015/Drachengott_Wind.jpg" height="195" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Rating: 3 out of 5</b></span><br />Format: Kindle Edition<br />File Size: 1088 KB Print<br />Length: 140 pages<br />Publisher: AUS Impulse (1 May 2015)<br />Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers (AU)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN: 9781460705339<br />ISBN 10: 1460705335<br />ASIN: B00RKU7QP0<br /><br />Summary<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Rutger has always been a bit different. Wanting more than his current provincial life holds, he practices swordfighting, ensuring he's ready for ... he's not quite sure what. Until he meets Swanhild, an enigmatic young woman who knows exactly what she's training for - war. The two meet every day in the forest to practice magic and Rutger feels like he finally belongs somewhere. But Swanhild is hiding something. Will Rugter find out her secret before it's too late? Or will the battle they've been waiting for render secrets irrelevant?</i></blockquote><br />&nbsp;A good start to a promising fantasy series.<br /><br />Proper fantasy is not really my thing especially epic. How ever I have been reading more books in that area lately, especially books about dragons. Not sure what is happening there, maybe it is a phase I am going through?<br /><br />This story was not a complex story Rugter and Swanhild set out to over throw one of the most powerful baddies in the area. The reader follows the pairs adventures as they work towards this goal. The time line for this does seem to skip along pretty quick but it doesn't feel to rushed. However despite the simple story and motivations the world building was not lacking<br /><br />There are dragons but they are the bad guys and pretty simple creatures. But there is an interesting part to the dragon story in this world with a head dragon who controls them all. Reminded me of a beehive. I would be interested to see how the dragon's story evolves through the book and we learn more about their story.<br /><br />Drachengott does have a book one feel about it. The story is just starting and I supect there are going to be at least four books. The pacing of the book fits a story based in a series. It is slow paced for roughly half of the book but it does build up to a fight scene.<br /><br />I liked Swanhild the most as I felt we got to learn more about her and her motivations the most. &nbsp;She is the main character the reader will follow through the series. As we learned about her then her character and motivations were pretty clear. Rutger felt a little too simple in his motivations and personality. However I suspect next time we meet him, he will be a far more complex character.<br /><br />While I wasn't the &nbsp;blown away by the book, as previously mentioned it was the start of a longer series that was obviously the first stepping stone in a bigger series. The overall series I think has potential to be a good fantasy series over all. I could see this being a series that has the potential to be very addictive. However with the book currently being listed at $2.99 there is no real reason to not give this book a try.Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-50925034437058889672015-05-09T19:47:00.000+09:302015-05-09T19:47:05.272+09:30Love in a time of Monsters by Teresa Yea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424977615m/25026396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424977615m/25026396.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #660000;"><b>Rating 3 out of 5</b></span><br />Publisher: Broken E Publishing (March 31, 2015)<br />Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00UDQUK9C<br /><br />Summary:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><span style="color: #274e13;">He has a monster problem Scotland, 1867. When Rob Stevenson’s brother is killed—and eaten—in the forest outside their estate, Rob’s sheltered world is shattered by a monster infestation. Determined to keep his village safe, Rob's first duty as laird involves hiring a professional hunter. She kills monsters The sole survivor of a massacre in the Congo, Catriona Mornay is rumored to have lost her mind in the jungle. In Edinburgh’s gas-lit streets, Cat’s skill as a hunter is unmatched. Her reputation as a killer of unnatural creatures, legendary. Two worlds collide Faced with a rising body count, Rob takes a chance on Cat, hoping that somewhere inside this tortured yet charismatic girl is the hero he’s been searching for. But in this shadow realm of secrets, lies, and underworld crime, their lives overlap in more ways than one. And in an age where harpies flock the sky and serpents rule the sea, it’s even possible for a boy and his hunter to fall in love. But can their love survive in a time of monsters? For fans of bestselling authors Libba Bray and Megan Shepherd, take a dark ride into a seductive New Adult fantasy filled with magic, intrigue, adventure, and action packed romance.</span></i></blockquote>Not a bad book but not I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I liked the writing and the clever mix of history, literature and fantasy as well as the story itself. On the other it was a little too gothic for me.<br /><br />I really liked that the author tied the characters to the real life author Rob Stevenson and his stories. However the story is almost purely fictional with only some things (like his illness and living in Scotland) tying him to his real world counterpart. Though it is fun to think the real Stevenson had done a spot of monster hunting in his youth before writing a best seller book.<br /><br />&nbsp;Cat is an interesting and broken character. She is strong willed and independent yet she is a drug addict who has suffered through a major trauma. She makes some pretty stupid decision which have terrible consequences. However sometimes she is very insightful and knows the right thing to do that saves everyone.<br /><br />As previously mentioned a smidgeon dark and serious for me. There is a bit of gore and violence (hello she is a monster hunter not sure why I expected it to be more like skipping through the tulips and less skipping through the graveyard).<br /><br />There is also romance element and a love triangle which plats into the story line and creates tension between the main characters.<br /><br />An interesting book with lots of different elements that would make it enjoyable to lots of different readers.Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-2660699599789448262015-04-20T15:00:00.001+09:302015-04-20T15:02:45.109+09:30Blood Queen (Lharmell Series book 3) by Rhiannon Hart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386058523l/16108820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386058523l/16108820.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #990000;">Rating 4 out of 5</span></b><br />Format: Kindle Edition<br />Publisher: Curtis Brown Unlimited (21 March 2015) Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.<br />Language: English<br />ASIN: B00VEFCWEC<br />Series: Yes<br /><br /><b>Release date 21 April 2015 through Amazon Kindle initially and paperback later.</b><br /><br />Summary<br /><i>After losing Rodden at the last Turning, Zeraphina is alone. Or she would be, if her mother and Prince Folsum would leave her in peace. The prince, blind in one eye after an attack by Zeraphina’s brant, has taken up residence in her home and is insisting she marry him. When an accident happens, Zeraphina flees – straight into the arms of a waiting harming. Now a captive, she discovers she’s being taken to Lharmell. But not to be executed. To be crowned queen. The identity of the one who has given the orders is shrouded in mystery, and Zeraphina can’t help but be suspicious. After everything she’s done the Lharmellins should want her dead. Just who is awaiting her in Lharmell? </i><br /><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Fall out from the events in books one (<i><a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/bloodsong-lharmell-series-book-1-by.html" target="_blank">Blood Song</a></i>) and two (<i><a href="http://thenarrativecausality.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/blood-storm-lharmell-series-book-2-by.html" target="_blank">Blood Storm</a></i>) start to impact the characters in this book which culminates into an action packed show down. This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It kept me entertained the whole way through. There is so much that I want to write and discuss about this book, however I wont so this review will not spoil the book for those who will read it. So this review will be quite broad and general.</div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br />Zeraphina is broken in this book. She is a pretty self obsessed, miserable, addict. Consumed with grief for the loss of Rodden. But with the help of Raufo she begins to put her life back together even though she is being led to her doom.<br /><br /></div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">There is a whole lot of action going on but there is a slowish start first (you know only one person died and nothing got destroyed), but from the middle of the book things start to really get moving. From there on it is action packed and fast moving the rest of the way. The slow start does make sense and it isn't frustrating.</div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I found a new respect for Zeraphinas mother and sister who were more then met the eye. In the previous two books her mother seemed shallow, cold, and self serving and her sister shallow and to concerned about what others thought. In this book we get to see more depth to their characters.</div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">This was a satisfying ending to the trilogy and didn't feel rushed, forced or skipped over. &nbsp;If you are a fan of the series you should like this book and be happy with the ending (though I'm really not happy the trilogy has ended).<br /><br /><br /></div>Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7941030623185791442.post-45397355714030881472015-04-01T20:11:00.000+09:302015-04-01T20:11:00.110+09:30Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422552261l/23395701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422552261l/23395701.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #660000;">Rating 4 out of 5</span></b><br />Age Range: 12 and up<br />Grade Level: 7 and up<br />Publisher: Delacorte Press (June 9, 2015)<br />Language: English<br />ISBN-10: 0553536516 ISBN-13: 978-0553536515<br />ASIN: B00QDGVFDG (June 4, 2015)<br /><br /><br />Summary<br /><i>A laugh-out-loud romance from the bestselling author of the Shopaholic series. Meet Audrey: an ordinary teenage girl with not so ordinary problems. Aside from her completely crazy and chaotic family, she suffers from an anxiety disorder which makes talking to her brother's hot new best friend a bit of a challenge. But Audrey has a plan to help her face her fears and take on the world again. First stop: Starbucks.</i><br /><br />I have to confess I am not a big Kinsella fan. I have read a few of her adult books and found them hit and miss. However I was intrigued to learn she had written a Young Adult novel and that it dealt with mental issues. For me this book was a hit and I think this is one of my favourite Kinsella books.<br /><br />Personally I think mental issues is a topic that needs to be address more in the media and in publications and not in the "they are mentally disturbed so there for a serial killer" kind of way. Awareness is growing within community but there is still a lot of stigma surrounding people who suffer mental illness. Sophia Kinsella has done a good job of writing about a difficult and poorly understood issue and she made it non-threatening, light hearted and relatable to teens.<br /><br />Through Audrey's eyes we learn about her life, her struggles to over come her anxiety, and accept who she is. We also learn about the impact her illness has had on her family and how they adjust to her recovery. &nbsp;It is not a smooth road they are traveling. Kinsella has done a good job of showing how mental illness impacts everyone around the sufferer.<br /><br />I think this is the major strength of this book. Through Audrey's eyes and her recovery she becomes aware of the impacts on her family. This in turn allows the reader to really understand how mental illness impacts everyone. We also get a good insight into how someone withe anxiety and depression thinks and its not rationally. The reference to 'lizard brain" I thought was prefect as Audrey's way of dealing with her anxiety (it is also a psychological term). I have never suffered from anxiety or depression. However a few of my friends have, and some of the ways they expressed themselves I saw written on the pages as Audrey's thoughts.<br /><br />The summary makes this book sound a lot lighter then it is. However this is not a heavy or depressing book, it is a positive book, and I will confess to giggling a couple of times. The "laugh-out-loud" part comes from her families antics and dealing with the issues that they are presented with.<br /><br />While there is a romance of sorts it is a very sweet element to the story. It is also not the main theme of the story but is one of Audrey's drivers. Linus is a good fit for Audrey and I liked their relationship.<br /><br />I would be curious to learn why Sophie Kinsella chose to write this topic for her Young Adult debut.<br /><br />This is a great book which tackles a difficult subject in a light-hearted,positive and sensitive way. I think this could be a book that all teens should read to give them a better understanding of people who live with mental illness. I do recommend this book for teenagers and anyone who wants understand mental illness a bit better.<br /><br />If you would like to read an <a href="http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/book_detail.php?b=34" target="_blank">extract</a> then head over to Sophie Kinsella's website for more.<br /><br />This review book was provided to me by Netgalley.Mandy Rhttps://plus.google.com/113615583306360273444noreply@blogger.com0